This invention relates to an insect capturing and exterminating device. More particularly this invention relates to a hand operated device for readily capturing and exterminating insects of the Diptera species, such as the housefly. The device enables a selected insect to be approached, actuating the device when sufficiently close to the insect, and capturing the insect within a capturing unit. The interior of the capturing unit is provided with an insect exterminating agent such as a contact poison, which is applied to the insect. The capturing unit is provided with at least one isolation exit through which the insect is allowed to escape into a transparent isolation unit. The insect is then exterminated in the isolation unit and may be eliminated therefrom whenever convenient by removing a portion of the isolation unit to give access to the interior thereof.
It is well known that most household devices and means for exterminating houseflies, for example, are unhygienic and/or promote pollution of the atmosphere, and are, therefore, generally unsuitable for use for example in a kitchen or wherever food is prepared or served.
Present methods and devices, especially for exterminating houseflies, act indiscriminately in killing harmless, and even useful, insects, pollute the atmosphere, create unhygienic, unsightly and repulsive conditions, or are only partly effective since there are mainly dependent upon a change meeting between the agent and the insect.
The above-mentioned defects and disabilities inherent in such devices in general use can be largely eliminated if the flight reflexes of the insect could be neutralized or anticipated so that it may be purposefully approached, captured, and then exterminated.
Experimental studies by the applicant have, however, shown that flight reflexes of the housefly tend to be activated only by certain environmental conditions. Such conditions include the following: perception of visual images within the environment which move rapidy towards the insect, images of rapid, jerky movements including changes of direction; sudden air turbulence or air pressure caused by movement of objects; images presented by an upward movement of the arm and hand even when such movement is comparatively slow.
Of the images described above, that of the human hand and arm rising in a vertical plane appears to elicit the most prompt and unfailing response.
In the light of the above considerations, an apparatus and method are required whereby an insect is approached with a suitably designed device in hand for its capture, handled as herein described, namely by approaching the insect without initially raising the hand or arm above the level at which the insect itself is situated and to continue in the same plane as the insect with a steady, even and unbroken movement. Conveniently, such a plane in practice constitutes a horizontal plane. In addition, the device, which is more fully described below, should be so designed that its foremost extremities do not arouse the insect but bypass the insect as far as required thus further mitigating against arousal of the flight of the insect.
In order to capture an insect effectively with any capturing device, the following conditions are required:
(a) Close proximity of the device to the insect; PA1 (b) Use of a device, the action of which will reduce air turbulence in one direction, which provides a stimulus to flight as well as an airborne passage away from the entrapping device, and PA1 (c) Use of a device capable of swift action.